Production shift manager vs plant superintendent

The differences between production shift managers and plant superintendents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a production shift manager and a plant superintendent. Additionally, a plant superintendent has an average salary of $95,149, which is higher than the $32,365 average annual salary of a production shift manager.

The top three skills for a production shift manager include continuous improvement, lean manufacturing and quality standards. The most important skills for a plant superintendent are plant safety, production supervisors, and OSHA.

Production shift manager vs plant superintendent overview

	Production Shift Manager	Plant Superintendent
Yearly salary	$32,365	$95,149
Hourly rate	$15.56	$45.74
Growth rate	-	3%
Number of jobs	151,772	31,744
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age	46	48
Years of experience	2	2

What does a production shift manager do?

A production shift manager is an executive who supervises production, operations, or services in the absence of the general or assistant manager. Production shift managers oversee business operations while working along with the employees in a certain shift. The managers take responsibility in delegating staff their respective responsibilities. They make sure that these responsibilities are accurate and efficient. Also, they manage the manufacturing of vehicles or components developed into finished goods in a certain production line.

What does a plant superintendent do?

Plant superintendents must have skills in operations, productions, and management. They also need a 4-year degree in business or industrial management. Those who choose this career will be called upon to oversee a plant's manufacturing processes and to recommend improvements to increase productivity. They also enforce all state and federal regulations for plant operations and employee safety.

Production shift manager vs plant superintendent salary

Production shift managers and plant superintendents have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Production Shift Manager	Plant Superintendent
Average salary	$32,365	$95,149
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $42,000	Between $67,000 And $134,000
Highest paying City	Danvers, MA	West Sacramento, CA
Highest paying state	North Dakota	Alaska
Best paying company	Pella	Koch Industries
Best paying industry	Hospitality	Finance

Differences between production shift manager and plant superintendent education

There are a few differences between a production shift manager and a plant superintendent in terms of educational background:

	Production Shift Manager	Plant Superintendent
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 55%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Stanford University	Northwestern University

Production shift manager vs plant superintendent demographics

Here are the differences between production shift managers' and plant superintendents' demographics:

	Production Shift Manager	Plant Superintendent
Average age	46	48
Gender ratio	Male, 88.8% Female, 11.2%	Male, 96.9% Female, 3.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 15.2% Asian, 4.8% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 7.6% White, 69.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	6%	8%

Differences between production shift manager and plant superintendent duties and responsibilities

Production shift manager example responsibilities.

Manage safety and GMP's.
Manage operations of a high-precision machining facility consisting of state-of-the-art CNC machine tools.
Generate weekly KPI reports; all production parameters.
Serve as leader in OSHA regulation compliance and training.
Maintain a safe work environment and uphold OSHA regulations.
Work closely with QA and USDA to ensure all customer specifications are met.

Plant superintendent example responsibilities.

Manage employee's schedules, time off requests, vacation and payroll with the KRONOS time management software.
Establish safety training program and documentation to satisfy OSHA requirements.
Direct and monitor plant personnel in accordance with OSHA regulations and company safety program.
Function as plant buyer, scheduler, maintenance, and QC lab tech.
Assist machine shop employee's adherence to GMP regulations and completing all necessary paperwork.
Organize training programs for the production personnel GMP, safety compliance and S.O.P's.

Production shift manager vs plant superintendent skills

Common production shift manager skills

Continuous Improvement, 16%
Lean Manufacturing, 8%
Quality Standards, 7%
HR, 6%
Safety Standards, 5%
Process Improvement, 4%

Common plant superintendent skills

Plant Safety, 10%
Production Supervisors, 9%
OSHA, 6%
Continuous Improvement, 6%
Plant Operations, 6%
Lean Manufacturing, 5%

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Production Shift Manager
Production Shift Manager vs Plant Superintendent

Updated January 8, 2025

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